Sorter systems are known in the art. These systems sort completed mailpieces and direct the mailpieces to storage pockets or bins, depending on the system's configuration. The mailpieces are directed to the particular bins based on a predetermined sorting scheme. Typical sorting schemes involve sorting mailpieces based on a common destination, such as a geographic region or a common postal code, for example.
In typical conventional sorting systems, once a bin is full, an operator is notified by an indicator light, for example. The operator must then clear the full bin and replace it with an empty one to allow the sorter system to continue operating. Handling heavy bins may create difficulties for the sorter system operator. Those difficulties may be further compounded where the bins are arranged on multiple levels, requiring overhead lifting.
In addition, in some cases, the sorter system is shut down when one or more pockets or bins are full to allow for their replacement. Thus, the refilling of bins may adversely affect the efficiency of the sorting operation.
Attempts have been made to automate bin handling in sorter systems, but conventional systems have been overly large and complex.